You can often find the owner or publisher of a website by using the Whois? Database. It is sometimes helpful to know who publishes the information you are reading. (Please note example site contains racist/offensive subject matter)

A good example of why you may want to check publishing information is illustrated by this website: www.martinlutherking.org. This Web address looks innocent enough, but the information on the site itself is definitely not. We have had many teachers tell us their students have brought it to their attention when researching Martin Luther King Jr. Be forewarned the site contains racist and inappropriate content.

We do not condone sites of this nature; however, the reality is that if a student conducts a search for Martin Luther King in Google, the martinlutherking.org site generally appears in the top five results, claiming it is a “valuable resource for students and teachers.” Since research suggests students are most likely to choose results on or near the top of a list of results, many students are likely to click on this site.

Even though this site is blocked by many school filters, teachers may be interested in knowing what type of information their students might be accessing when researching in unfiltered environments.

Another reason why students might choose to click on this site is because of its URL, which includes the name Martin Luther King right in the Web address. It would seem the publisher has thought carefully about how to present this site and make it look appealing to young researchers.

But who has published this site and how do we find out? If you are ever unsure about the information on a Web page and want to know who owns the site or has published the material, go to www.easywhois.com.

If we continue using this site as an example, we would do the following: In the search box labeled Whois Lookup type martinlutherking.org. Click next.

You will be asked to enter a provided random number into a box. Type in the number and click next.

Whois? tells you the dates this site was created, specific contact names and addresses at which the organization is based. You also learn the name of the server, STORMFRONT.ORG. (Look to Registrant information.) The Martin Luther King site is published by a White Supremist organization called Stormfront. Notice the .org. This suggests that Stormfront.org may be a Web address on its own. (There are links to the Stormfront website on the Martin Luther King site.)

If you type this Web address into a search engine you will see the main site of the White Supremist group. A quick glance at the owner’s home page would tell anyone that this is a site from which we do not want our students reading and researching information.

Researching website owner information may not be something you do all the time, but it may be revealing if you are at all concerned about the quality of information on a site and want to know more about it.

I was wondering if you are still checking this website. I am still confused as to how to find the publisher. When I typed in my website, no “registrant” field showed.. Only “sponsoring registrar” and “registrar”

If a company was hired to register your web address, that company’s name will be the result. If you see a company name such as network solutions, they are the registrar of the registrant. They were hired by the true owner to take care of the registration. This is also a paid add-on feature to protect the owners identity if they are concerned about their privacy.

I am amazed. I will use this from now on! I am curious now not just for my students but my family and friends as well. There is a bad case of “well it is on the internet so it must be true” in my area. I think it would be beneficial to know who the owner or publisher is of information that is often forwarded.

I know awhile back there was a website that was similar with coolmath.com. That made it very difficult to do webquests using the site and I had to make sure I gave each student a link to the various activities.

What does it mean when the sponsoring registrar is FastDomain Inc, the registrant name is Domain Privacy Service FBO Registrant, and and registrant is listed as email: [email protected]? What should be listed as the publisher / sponsor for a citation in this case?

If a company was hired to register your web address, that company’s name will be the result. Fast Domain was hired by the true owner to take care of the registration. In some instances, this is a paid add-on feature to protect the owners identity if they are concerned about their privacy.

If a company was hired to register your web address, that company’s name will be the result. If you see a company name such as network solutions, they are the registrar of the registrant. They were hired by the true owner to take care of the registration. This is also a paid add-on feature to protect the owners identity if they are concerned about their privacy.

Wow, whois is awesome! I am so glad to have learned of this website. So often I teach my students that they need to have proper citation for their work but it can be hard to find on websites. I look forward to modeling the use of this site and helping my students learn it.

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About November Learning

Led by Alan November and based in Marblehead, MA, November Learning equips teachers and administrators to motivate students to own their learning and make global connections by using effective technology and implementing rigorous assignments. Through our annual Building Learning Communities conference, professional development services and extended resources, our team of experts empowers educators to enact powerful changes across the curriculum, drawing on students’ abilities to think critically, communicate globally, express creativity and collaborate across several types of media.